"I pleaded with him to have an attorney," Lyons said, as well as noting the defendant has been admonished at great length and explained the gravity of charges against him.

Rosetto faces 39 charges in eight cases including gun crimes, armed robbery, residential burglary, home invasion and aggravated unlawful restraint in five separate incidents occurring between April 12 and Nov. 15 of last year.

He faces 21 to 45 years in prison in six of his eight cases, each of which includes use of a firearm during a Class X felony home invasion or armed robbery.

If convicted on all 39 counts, Rosetto could face a minimum of 132 years in prison in consecutive sentences.

Rosetto's case was first assigned to attorney Collette Bailey with the public defender's office in November 2013 after his arrest.

The case was reassigned to Sam Snyder following Bailey's unexpected death in February of this year.

Rosetto had made claims to both Lyons and to State's Attorney Jerry Brady of ineffective counsel against both Bailey and Snyder before he appeared in court Thursday asking to act pro se with co-counsel.

Lyons continued the case to Friday, when Rosetto simply asked for a change of counsel, citing specifically his displeasure with a recommendation from his attorney to accept a plea deal.

Lyons denied that request, saying a defendant can't change attorneys just because they deliver bad news or difficult decisions.

"I guess I have to proceed on my own," Rosetto said.

Lyons advised Rosetto repeatedly against a pro se trial, but cited several court cases including that of Clarence Thomas when he ruled allowing self-representation.

Thomas was granted a new trial last year after then-Circuit Judge James Shadid denied his request to represent himself in his murder trial in 2011.

Rosetto's trial was subsequently pushed back until at least June, with his next court appearance scheduled for May 29.

Co-defendant Stefan Crayton, 20, also appeared in court this week, starting the process of entering into a plea agreement for his role in the crimes.

Crayton faces charges of home invasion, armed robbery, residential burglary and aggravated unlawful restraint linked to the Sept. 19 break-in at the home of Ron “Doc” and Mari Halliday, 4331 Longmeadow Court, in which prosecutors allege he participated but imply he played a small role.

The partially negotiated agreement would cap Crayton's sentence at 12 years. Crayton is expected in court on Monday when Lyons will rule on the plea agreement and either accept the conditions or likely begin Crayton's trial.

A third defendant, 20-year-old Blair Johnson, faces charges similar to Crayton's and has court appearances scheduled for next month.

Laura Nightengale can be reached at 686-3181 or lnightengale@pjstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauranight.